Bridgegate

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General Mung Beans
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Bridgegate

Post by General Mung Beans »

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/09/nyreg ... ml?hp&_r=0
Top Christie Staff Sought to Disrupt Traffic as Revenge
By KATE ZERNIKEJAN. 8, 2014

In December, Gov. Chris Christie announced the resignation of Bill Baroni, a Port Authority official, as the controversy threatened Mr. Christie’s political fortunes. Mel Evans/Associated Press

Newly released emails and text messages show that Gov. Chris Christie’s office was closely involved with lane closings on the New Jersey side of the George Washington Bridge in September, and that officials closed the lanes as retribution against the Democratic mayor whose town was gridlocked as a result.

The growing scandal around the bridge threatens Mr. Christie at the moment he assumes an even larger position on the national stage, as chairman of the Republican Governors Association and a leading candidate for his party’s presidential nomination in 2016.

In the documents, obtained by The New York Times and other news outlets on Wednesday morning, Bridget Anne Kelly, a deputy chief of staff in Mr. Christie’s office, gave a signal to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to close the lanes about two weeks before the closings occurred.

“Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee,” she emailed David Wildstein, Mr. Christie’s close friend from high school, and one of his appointees at the Port Authority, which controls the bridge. Mr. Christie and some officials at Port Authority have said the closings were done as part of a traffic study, but they caused havoc for days, backing up traffic for hours.

Mr. Christie’s handpicked chairman of the Port Authority, David Samson, was also involved in the closings, according to the emails, which describe his efforts to “retaliate” against New York officials who had not been told of the changes and sought to ease the gridlock.

While the emails do not establish that the governor himself called for the lane closings, they do show his staff was intimately involved, contradicting Mr. Christie’s repeated avowals that no one in his office or campaign knew.

That conflicts with the governor’s carefully crafted reputation as the rare politician who will tell it like it is, even when the news is difficult. And the pettiness described in the emails flies against the image Mr. Christie’s aides have sought to craft for him, of a new kind of leader, above the partisan politics and small-mindedness of Washington.

After the emails were released, Mr. Christie canceled his one public event for the day, which had been billed as an announcement of progress in the recovery from Hurricane Sandy. He issued a statement in the late afternoon, saying he had been “misled” and emphasizing he had no prior knowledge of the events.

“I am outraged and deeply saddened to learn that not only was I misled by a member of my staff, but this completely inappropriate and unsanctioned conduct was made without my knowledge,” Mr. Christie said.

“This type of behavior is unacceptable and I will not tolerate it, because the people of New Jersey deserve better,” he added. “This behavior is not representative of me or my administration in any way, and people will be held responsible for their actions.”

The emails indicate that Mr. Christie’s staff and his associates at the Port Authority were closely aware of the political context. Mr. Christie was leaning on local Democratic officials to endorse his re-election bid so that he could then seek his party’s presidential nomination by arguing that he was the candidate who could attract bipartisan support in a blue state.

Mr. Christie won re-election in November by 22 points, and instantly became a leading candidate for his party’s presidential nomination by winning across many demographic groups. His campaign boasted that he had been endorsed by more than 50 local Democratic officials.


But the documents released Wednesday further the perception of what Republicans as well as Democrats in New Jersey have long said about the governor: that he wields fear and favor to get what he wants, and lashes out at even the smallest perceived slights.

During the campaign, as Mr. Christie and his associates leaned on Democratic local officials for endorsements, many mayors whispered that they feared the governor would withhold money or favor if they did not go along. Even Republican lawmakers who have supported Mr. Christie tell stories of being punished when he perceived them as not supporting him enough.

The mayor of Fort Lee, Mark Sokolich, is a Democrat and did not endorse Mr. Christie. In the obtained emails and texts, Mr. Christie’s staff and appointees appeared gleeful when the abrupt lane closings gridlocked the town for days, beginning with the first day of school and including the anniversary of Sept. 11. Mr. Sokolich, who had not been informed of the closings, texted Bill Baroni, the governor’s top appointee at the Port Authority, asking for “help” because the lane closings were making children on buses late to school.

“Is it wrong that I am smiling?” Mr. Wildstein texted Ms. Kelly.

“No,” she texted back.

“I feel badly about the kids,” he texted.

“They are the children of Buono voters,” she said, referring to Mr. Christie’s Democratic opponent, Barbara Buono, who was trailing consistently in the polls and lost by a wide margin.

Ms. Kelly is one of three deputy chiefs of staff in Mr. Christie’s office, and a close member of his team. Her Twitter timeline included a photograph, before it was taken down Wednesday morning, of her celebrating her 40th birthday last year with the governor and other members of his staff.

After the lane closings were reversed by New York officials at the Port Authority, New Jersey officials expressed panic that their plan was not causing enough trouble.

“Yes, unreal. Fixed now,” he emailed.

Mr. Sokolich texted Mr. Baroni later that month seeking to understand why the lanes were closed, and said that people were saying it was “punishment.”

Christie’s Statement
“What I've seen today for the first time is unacceptable. I am outraged and deeply saddened to learn that not only was I misled by a member of my staff, but this completely inappropriate and unsanctioned conduct was made without my knowledge. One thing is clear: this type of behavior is unacceptable and I will not tolerate it because the people of New Jersey deserve better. This behavior is not representative of me or my Administration in any way, and people will be held responsible for their actions.”

“Try as I may to dispel these rumors I am having a tough time,” he wrote.

Mr. Baroni, Ms. Kelly and Mr. Wildstein showed some alarm, swearing and discussing how they could avoid Mr. Sokolich while also quieting the growing controversy.

Earlier this week, the Democratic mayor of Jersey City, Steve Fulop, said the governor’s office had canceled meetings with him after he informed them he would not endorse the governor for re-election.

Mr. Christie’s associates had been pressing hard on Mr. Fulop, a rising star in the Democratic Party who took office in July, but he resisted before finally endorsing Ms. Buono.

The emails show that Mr. Fulop’s decision did not sit well with the governor’s office. Mr. Christie’s aides and the Port Authority officials talked about how they were refusing to return the telephone calls from Mr. Sokolich, the Fort Lee mayor. “Radio silence,” Mr. Wildstein wrote to Ms. Kelly in an email. “His name comes right after mayor Fulop.”

The documents released Wednesday are heavily redacted by Mr. Wildstein, who turned them over under a subpoena from Democratic legislators investigating the lane closings, making it hard to determine in some cases who is speaking.

But they indicate that Mr. Christie’s staff, appointees at the Port Authority and members of his campaign staff were all intimately involved in discussing the growing scandal and how to react to it as early as October. One series of text messages between Ms. Kelly and Mr. Wildstein indicates that in early August, at the same time they were discussing the plan for the lane closings, they were trying to set up a meeting between Mr. Christie and Mr. Samson. It is not clear, however, that the meeting was regarding the lane closings, although later emails make clear that Mr. Samson was involved in those plans.

Mr. Baroni and Mr. Wildstein resigned their positions in December as the Port Authority’s executive deputy director and director of interstate capital projects, respectively, as the scandal threatened Mr. Christie’s political fortunes.

The thing that surprises me about this case isn't the corruption but rather the sheer pettiness of the retaliation-its something I might expect to happen in a comedy film or a cartoon not in reality by a conspiracy of mentally competent grown adults in responsible positions. I'm giving Governor Christie the benefit of the doubt for now but the fact that he was clueless about his suspicious does not bode well.
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Re: Bridgegate

Post by Flagg »

Christie is, has been, and always will be nothing but a big fat bully. This fits in perfectly with that.
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Re: Bridgegate

Post by Simon_Jester »

It's very hard to believe that his aides would do this without his knowledge.

Honestly, is there any precedent for a politician's senior aides engaging in this kind of petty but damaging bullshit, with all its potential to backfire, without at least consulting their boss?

Come to think of it, even if true Christie's story doesn't speak well of him because seriously, what kind of bozo appoints dangerous loose cannons who would do such a thing, and fails to control them effectively enough to ensure that they won't do so?
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Re: Bridgegate

Post by Alferd Packer »

General Mung Beans wrote:The thing that surprises me about this case isn't the corruption but rather the sheer pettiness of the retaliation-its something I might expect to happen in a comedy film or a cartoon not in reality by a conspiracy of mentally competent grown adults in responsible positions. I'm giving Governor Christie the benefit of the doubt for now but the fact that he was clueless about his suspicious does not bode well.
Giving him the benefit of the the doubt "merely" shows him to be completely incompetent to govern. There is no positive spin that can be put on this; he's either inept or a liar. This has effectively ended any chance of him running for President in 2016.
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Re: Bridgegate

Post by Pelranius »

How much money did Fort Lee lose?

Will be interesting to see what happens to the ex Deputy Chief of Staff (if she gets involved in some Christie PAC in the future, there will be hell to pay in 2016).
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Re: Bridgegate

Post by Borgholio »

Looks like a NJ State Senator is calling for an investigation.
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Re: Bridgegate

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Pelranius wrote:How much money did Fort Lee lose?
Besides the lost money, from what I read at least 4 EMS calls were severely delayed by the traffic snarls, including a 90+ year old women who later died. Whether a faster response time would have done anything in these specific cases I don't know (calls took 7-9 minutes to respond to instead of something like 4, iirc), but I don't see anyway they can defend this behavior.
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Re: Bridgegate

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Alferd Packer wrote: Giving him the benefit of the the doubt "merely" shows him to be completely incompetent to govern. There is no positive spin that can be put on this; he's either inept or a liar. This has effectively ended any chance of him running for President in 2016.
This is about a thousand times less significant than the Fast and Furiou deal and I don't think anyone here believes Obama knew or should have known about that. Responsible for it in the grand sense? Sure, but acutely accountable? Absolutely not. Subordinates have deligated power and they will do screwed up things.

If they can't show specific links to Christie, or a patern of other misdeeds by the people involved that show a habit of ignoring warning signs, I will apply the same level of blame as above informed by how he deals with those who caused this.
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Re: Bridgegate

Post by Pelranius »

Broken wrote:
Pelranius wrote:How much money did Fort Lee lose?
Besides the lost money, from what I read at least 4 EMS calls were severely delayed by the traffic snarls, including a 90+ year old women who later died. Whether a faster response time would have done anything in these specific cases I don't know (calls took 7-9 minutes to respond to instead of something like 4, iirc), but I don't see anyway they can defend this behavior.
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Re: Bridgegate

Post by Vendetta »

It fits a pattern of behaviour for Christie, in that he is given to petty retaliation and has trouble controlling his temper.
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Re: Bridgegate

Post by Flagg »

Patroklos wrote:
Alferd Packer wrote: Giving him the benefit of the the doubt "merely" shows him to be completely incompetent to govern. There is no positive spin that can be put on this; he's either inept or a liar. This has effectively ended any chance of him running for President in 2016.
This is about a thousand times less significant than the Fast and Furiou deal and I don't think anyone here believes Obama knew or should have known about that. Responsible for it in the grand sense? Sure, but acutely accountable? Absolutely not. Subordinates have deligated power and they will do screwed up things.

If they can't show specific links to Christie, or a patern of other misdeeds by the people involved that show a habit of ignoring warning signs, I will apply the same level of blame as above informed by how he deals with those who caused this.
Take your right wing nut talking points and shove them up your ass where they belong. Fast and furious was started under the Bush administration. It was shut down when Holder and Obama found out about it.
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Re: Bridgegate

Post by Pelranius »

If this is part of the culture in his office, then it makes one wonder if his aides have pulled off similar crap in the past, with or without his knowledge.
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Re: Bridgegate

Post by Pelranius »

Another thought: if Kelly gets a cushy job anywhere, then people will be digging in even more in Christie's affairs.
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Re: Bridgegate

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Patroklos wrote: This is about a thousand times less significant than the Fast and Furiou deal and I don't think anyone here believes Obama knew or should have known about that. Responsible for it in the grand sense? Sure, but acutely accountable? Absolutely not. Subordinates have deligated power and they will do screwed up things.

If they can't show specific links to Christie, or a patern of other misdeeds by the people involved that show a habit of ignoring warning signs, I will apply the same level of blame as above informed by how he deals with those who caused this.
Here's the thing you're not really understanding when you try to spin this down and spin Fast and Furious up. Sure, what I'm about to say is political, but when Christie is considering a run for President that's something he's got to deal with. Fact of the matter is, not everyone, in fact barely anyone in the masses understands the dirt of law enforcement. That means the politicians are going to have a hard time really hitting high command with Fast and Furious. That's why they really couldn't get rid of the AG with it, much less even hit the President. EVERYBODY understands first responders, EVERYBODY understands traffic, EVERYBODY understands bridges. And when you have a 91 year old in cardiac arrest and people start wondering if this is part of the reason she died, whether it is or not or whether she was going to die with a four minute response time or not, now that this traffic jam is specifically tied directly to his office and whether he really knew or not, this is going to be a very big problem for Christie in the primaries. That is going to be a big ball and chain he's going to have to drag around. Especially since it took him twenty four hours to take anything resembling decisive action against that aide. How he handles this from here on out will only make the ball and chain smaller or bigger, but the ball and chain will still be there.
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Re: Bridgegate

Post by Pelranius »

This thing just gets bigger and bigger. I thought Wildstein would plead the 5th, but I didn't think it was the only words in his vocabulary.
David Wildstein Held In Contempt After Refusing To Testify About Bridge Scandal

Posted: 01/09/2014 2:39 pm EST |

David Wildstein, the former Port Authority official at the center of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's (R) bridge scandal, has been held in contempt by state lawmakers after refusing to testify about the controversy before a state Assembly panel on Thursday. Wildstein invoked his Fifth Amendment right to avoid incriminating himself.

"On the advice of my counsel, I respectfully assert my right to remain silent under the United States and New Jersey constitutions," said Wildstein, to audible reactions from the audience.

Wildstein appeared before the New Jersey Assembly's Transportation, Public Works and Independent Authorities Committee, which has been probing the four-day closure in September of Fort Lee's access lanes to the George Washington Bridge.

His lawyer had tried to get him out of testifying, but a judge refused to quash the subpoena Thursday morning.

Wildstein stated and spelled his name for the committee, said where he resided and that he wasn't currently employed. But after that, he clammed up, refusing to even say where he was most recently employed.

State lawmakers plan to file the contempt charges with law enforcement.

Until Dec. 6, Wildstein was one of Christie's top officials at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. He resigned when questions began emerging about why he ordered Fort Lee's access lanes to be shut down from Sept. 9 to 13.

Members of the Christie administration, as well as the governor himself, had maintained that the lanes were closed due to a traffic study. But on Wednesday, emails emerged showing that the closures were actually ordered as retribution against Fort Lee's Democratic mayor, who the governor's allies believed wasn't going to endorse Christie's bid for reelection in November. The emails were obtained by state lawmakers in response to a subpoena.

At one point, Wildstein received a text message from an unknown sender -- the emails are partially redacted -- saying, "Is it wrong that I'm smiling."

"No," replied Wildstein. When the other person added, "I feel badly about the kids. I guess," Wildstein reminded him or her that their parents are probably Democrats anyway.

"They are the children of Buono voters," Wildstein said, referring to Democrat Barbara Buono, who unsuccessfully challenged Christie in the Nov. 5 gubernatorial election. (The majority of Fort Lee voters, incidentally, voted for Christie, not Buono.)

Not only were Christie's Port Authority officials involved, but so were his deputy chief of staff and his campaign manager. Christie announced Thursday he has cut ties with both of them.

Christie brought Wildstein into his administration in 2010. But the two go back much further. Wildstein, who founded the political website PolitickerNJ, and Christie were just a year apart in high school. A 2012 profile of Wildstein in The Record newspaper said he'd figured "prominently" in Christie's effort to change the Port Authority.

"Longtime employees ... privately describe a man intent on carrying out a political agenda rather than one built on reform or improving the region's transportation system," wrote the paper.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/0 ... 69680.html
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Re: Bridgegate

Post by Gaidin »

I like the little irony of Fort Lee voters having voted for Christie and they do this...
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Re: Bridgegate

Post by Pelranius »

Gaidin wrote:I like the little irony of Fort Lee voters having voted for Christie and they do this...
This makes this even more stupid, whether or not Christie actually signed off on it. Solokich's term doesn't even end until 2015 (even if the Fort Lee voters did blame him somehow).
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Re: Bridgegate

Post by Patroklos »

Gaidin wrote:
Patroklos wrote: This is about a thousand times less significant than the Fast and Furiou deal and I don't think anyone here believes Obama knew or should have known about that. Responsible for it in the grand sense? Sure, but acutely accountable? Absolutely not. Subordinates have deligated power and they will do screwed up things.

If they can't show specific links to Christie, or a patern of other misdeeds by the people involved that show a habit of ignoring warning signs, I will apply the same level of blame as above informed by how he deals with those who caused this.
Here's the thing you're not really understanding when you try to spin this down and spin Fast and Furious up. Sure, what I'm about to say is political, but when Christie is considering a run for President that's something he's got to deal with. Fact of the matter is, not everyone, in fact barely anyone in the masses understands the dirt of law enforcement. That means the politicians are going to have a hard time really hitting high command with Fast and Furious. That's why they really couldn't get rid of the AG with it, much less even hit the President. EVERYBODY understands first responders, EVERYBODY understands traffic, EVERYBODY understands bridges. And when you have a 91 year old in cardiac arrest and people start wondering if this is part of the reason she died, whether it is or not or whether she was going to die with a four minute response time or not, now that this traffic jam is specifically tied directly to his office and whether he really knew or not, this is going to be a very big problem for Christie in the primaries. That is going to be a big ball and chain he's going to have to drag around. Especially since it took him twenty four hours to take anything resembling decisive action against that aide. How he handles this from here on out will only make the ball and chain smaller or bigger, but the ball and chain will still be there.
The point of my post was the F&F WAS NOT as big of a deal as many made it out to be and relevant to this thread shoe not "go all the way to the top." It's obvious a bigger deal than a traffic jam, connect the dots.
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Re: Bridgegate

Post by Rogue 9 »

Christie speaks.
My Fellow Americans, Look At Me: Do I Look Like A Corrupt, Vengeful Bully?
Commentary • Opinion • ISSUE 50•01 • Jan 9, 2014
By Chris Christie, New Jersey Governor


I must admit, the past two days have been the most humbling of my entire career. I was shocked and disgusted to learn of the deplorable conduct of a member of my staff, who, without my knowledge, orchestrated lane closures on the George Washington Bridge, deliberately causing major traffic congestion in order to exact political vengeance against a local mayor who didn’t endorse me for reelection. Though I promptly fired the aide in question and repeatedly stressed that I had no prior knowledge of her actions, many have continued to accuse me of being complicit in this incident. And to those who do, I can only ask that you simply look at me, right now, and just ask yourself one question: Do I look like a corrupt, vengeful, openly antagonistic bully to you?

Really, take a good, hard look. Do I seriously strike you as the type of person who would vengefully go after a rival political group who opposed my administration’s policies? And not only go after them, but also after anyone who is even remotely associated with them, essentially waging a fear campaign in order to systematically intimidate, isolate, and marginalize my enemies one-by-one?

C’mon, that’s just not me. Everyone knows that sounds nothing like me.

Really, anyone who has followed my career even the slightest bit over the years knows that the last thing I am is an overly ambitious and hypersensitive man with a penchant for antagonism and belligerence. I mean, it’s me we’re talking about here! Chris Christie! Not some ultra-competitive blowhard with deep-seated insecurities probably stemming from my own experiences being bullied as a child. That’s why this whole scandal is so silly. It’s like, everyone knows that’s the pretty much the exact opposite of what I’m like.

What, am I wearing a mask or something? I mean, hello? It’s me! Chris Christie!

Part of me gets, I suppose, why this whole debacle is so intriguing to people. After all, just imagine me secretly being some overcompensating, bitter, antagonistic personality with a my-way-or-the-highway demeanor and a ruthless desire for ever greater degrees of political power. I mean, sure, I see how that’s a pretty amusing and unexpected reversal: Chris Christie as a bully. I get it. But, look, let’s get serious here. People don’t just turn into completely different people overnight. I’m still the same warm, civil, reasonable, level-headed, pussycat-like guy who’s made people say for years, “Wow, that Chris Christie sure seems like a sweet, soft-spoken, not at all temperamental or vindictive person.” Nothing’s changed, folks! I’m still the same old me!

Heck, the mere facts alone that I’ve been the Governor of New Jersey for four years now and have since become a leading member of the Republican Party should really let anyone know by now that I’m obviously a compassionate and forgiving person who treats everyone—regardless of their views —with decency and respect. So could you ever imagine me quickly losing my temper over even the smallest perceived slight and then blowing it way out of proportion? Get outta here!

Folks, everyone knows that little things like criticism of my decisions, my track record, and especially my appearance just rolls off me like water off a duck’s back. C’mon, that’s, like, my whole thing, right? That’s my image: Mr. Calm And Conciliatory.

So if you’re one of the many people who is currently wondering whether or knew or didn’t know about the vengeful actions perpetrated by administration, just remember my overall demeanor, how I interact with everyday people, and how I respond to questions from the media, and you’ll quickly realize that I could never, ever be capable of endlessly obsessing over every last criticism leveled against me, nor could I ever bring myself to actually use any and all resources at my disposal to attack everyone who either proved an obstacle to my election or endorsed any of my political opponents. And the idea that I would go to incredible lengths to continue exacting political retribution at any available opportunity, even years later, is just inconceivable given the way I’ve famously carried myself both personally and professionally.

Honestly, the way people have been talking about this whole bridge scandal, you’d think I was the type of guy to still harbor plenty of ill-will and resentment toward those who worked against my election bid to unseat former New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine all the way back in 2009!

Ah well, that’s politics, I guess. People are always going to try to portray you as a sadistic, ruthless, overly belligerent scumbag hell-bent on crushing anyone who stands in your way. Weird that anyone would ever think that I, of all people, exemplify those traits, but whatever.

Ultimately, I take solace knowing that the great people of New Jersey, and the American people as a whole, won't just blindly accept these unfair accusations launched against me. They know the real me.
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Re: Bridgegate

Post by Eternal_Freedom »

Why is Wildstein being charged with contempt for pleading the 5th? I thought the whole point of the 5th was so that you didn't have to say anything.
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Re: Bridgegate

Post by Gaidin »

Because apparently the New Jersey legislature thinks it has weird rules for those records and their use?
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Flagg
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Re: Bridgegate

Post by Flagg »

The NJ legislature is wrong. Unless he gets blanket immunity he doesn't have to say shit. If it turns out that old woman would have lived if EMS got there sooner they could be looking at homicide charges. It's a stretch but weirder shit has happened.
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Gaidin
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Re: Bridgegate

Post by Gaidin »

Well, as I understand it doesn't that still give them the option of contempt as he's still under subpoena? It's not like a criminal court where the defendant has to willingly take the stand and open himself up to the questioning as such is it? He'd just rather take the contempt than risk said charges further down the road.
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Flagg
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Re: Bridgegate

Post by Flagg »

Gaidin wrote:Well, as I understand it doesn't that still give them the option of contempt as he's still under subpoena? It's not like a criminal court where the defendant has to willingly take the stand and open himself up to the questioning as such is it? He'd just rather take the contempt than risk said charges further down the road.
Just because you're under subpoena doesn't mean he loses his fifth amendment rights not to self incriminate.
We pissing our pants yet?
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You got your shittin' pants on? Because you’re about to
Shit. Your. Pants!
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Gaidin
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Re: Bridgegate

Post by Gaidin »

Flagg wrote: Just because you're under subpoena doesn't mean he loses his fifth amendment rights not to self incriminate.
Well all things being equal that's why I ask questions. Because I'm trying to understand the situation. I don't know what lets them throw a charge like that out as nobody knows what the answer to many of those questions were. While some of them I'm sure would've made perfect sense to go for the Fifth, as I understand it, the general pattern was, if they asked it his lawyer had him pleading the Fifth. Even for something so simple as if he worked for that agency. Why should they not hit him with that charge?
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